2025 Speakers

Avant South brings together visionaries and changemakers who are shaping the future of innovation. From bold startup founders to powerhouse corporate leaders, our speakers don’t just talk innovation—they live it.

Wesley Almeida

Wesley Almeida

Chief Technology Officer

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta
International Airport

Solomon Caviness

Solomon Caviness

Commissioner

ATLDOT

Pranjal Chatterjee

Pranjal Chatterjee

Electrical Lead

GT Solar Racing

Jennifer Chirico

Jennifer Chirico

Associate Vice President for Sustainability

Georgia Tech

Tijen Cirig

Tijen Cirig

Executive, Airports, Vertiports & Transportation

Honeywell

Lindsay deOliviera

Lindsay deOliviera

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Soothe Beginnings

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Julian Fitzgerald

Co-Founder

The Cxmmunity Foundation

Marc Gorlin

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Roadie, a UPS Company

Justin Honaman

Justin Honaman

Head, Worldwide Retail, Restaurants, and Consumer Goods Business Development

Amazon Web Services

Allie Kelly

Allie Kelly

Executive Director

The Ray

Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee

Vice President of Commercial

Yzer Next

Breon Martin

Breon Martin

Director of Communications

Georgia Tech

Mikw Malakhov

Mike Malakhov

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Carpool Logistics

Rhett Mayor

Rhett Mayor

Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Georgia Tech

Neha Negandhi

Neha Negandhi

Public Speaking Coach, Founder

Storyteller's Table

Billy Nolen

Billy Nolen

Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer

Archer Aviation

John Orr

John Orr

Chief Operating Officer

Norfolk Southern

Srinivas Peeta

Srinivas Peeta

Frederick R. Dickerson Chair & Professor

Georgia Tech

Julie Pierre

Julie Pierre

Community & Ecosystem Development

Collaborative Real Estate

Eric Phillips

Eric Phillips

Sr. Vice President and Chief Digital Officer

Delta Air lines

Alex Rhodeen

Alex Rhodeen

Supply Chain Catalyst

ATDC

Jack Semrau

Jack Semrau

Atlanta Venture Lead

Cox Enterprises

J. Marshall Shepherd

J. Marshall Shepherd

Georgia Athletic Assoc. Distinguished Professor

University of Georgia

Chris Smith

Chris Smith

Chief Executive Officer

Slip Robotics

Anna Stenport

Anna Stenport

Dean, Franklin College of Liberal Arts

University of Georgia

Joel Stenson

Joel Stenson

Sr. Vice President of Operations Technology

UPS

Pascal Van Hentenryck

Pascal Van Hentenryck

A. Russell Chandler III Chair; Director, AI Hub

Georgia Tech

Matt Walsh

Matt Walsh

Policy & Government Affairs

Waymo

Brian Work

Brian Work

President

CloneOps.ai

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and more!

Stay tuned - more speaker
announcements coming soon!